Terrell Williams will come over from the Lions to change into Vrabel’s defensive coordinator, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss report. This had become a rumored scenario, and it’ll reunite Vrabel and Williams after a yr aside. Previous to turning into the Lions’ defensive position coach final yr, Williams spent six seasons with the Titans.
Williams, 50, spent six seasons as Tennessee’s D-line coach, presiding over Jeffery Simmons‘ rise into one of many recreation’s premier inside defenders. Vrabel’s 2024 firing led Williams to Detroit, the place he helped Aaron Glenn‘s protection stay a top-10 unit regardless of quite a few accidents. Now, Vrabel will give the veteran place coach his first coordinator shot.
Dan Campbell‘s crew has now lost two assistants — Williams and Ben Johnson — and seems prone to see Glenn leave for the Jets’ head coaching position. This exodus from a 15-2 crew is actually not sudden, however it’s going to problem the Lions to each defend sure assistants from following among the departing coaches whereas additionally discovering new hires who can preserve the NFC North champions in excessive gear.
A university assistant for over a decade, Williams has now been within the NFL since 2012. He coached the Raiders and Dolphins’ defensive traces, respectively, from 2012-17. Vrabel introduced him to Nashville with a lateral move in 2018. The best hour for Williams’ Titans troops might have are available in a loss, as Simmons joined Harold Landry and Denico Autry in sacking Joe Burrow 9 occasions in a 2021 divisional-round matchup. Whereas the Titans’ DC from that interval (Shane Bowen) was additionally believed to be on Vrabel’s Pats radar, the Giants are retaining their defensive play-caller. And Williams will find yourself changing DeMarcus Covington to run the Pats’ protection.
Covington’s yr in cost underneath Jerod Mayo introduced a steep step down after Invoice Belichick had saved the Patriots’ protection because the twenty first century’s most dependable NFL unit. After constantly giving Tom Brady‘s groups sturdy security nets, Belichick’s protection continued to play properly following the legendary QB’s exit. The Pats had sported 18 top-10 scoring defenses from 2001-21, and regardless of Mac Jones‘ important regression in 2022 and ’23, Belichick’s protection respectively ranked seventh and eighth in whole protection through the since-fired coach’s last two seasons on the town. Below Covington, New England regressed to twenty second in each scoring and whole protection.
Vrabel’s crew is carrying probably the most cap area within the NFL, by a large margin, and could have some holes to fill. And, as anticipated, neither Covington nor one-year OC Alex Van Pelt are in line to be a part of the 2025 operation. Covington had been the Patriots’ D-line coach underneath Belichick from 2017-23, earlier than Mayo elevated him to DC. It needs to be anticipated the younger assistant — who has obtained coordinator curiosity elsewhere, together with a current Bengals interview — ought to land on his toes quickly.
